Woodwind mouthpiece

Abstract

The present invention relates to a novel woodwind mouthpiece, which comprises: a main body having an elongated streamlined shape; a hollow chamber and a bore inside the main body; a reed table on one side of the main body and partially suspended from the main body; a beak on an opposite side to the reed table on the main body; a reed rail surrounding the beak and connecting to two lateral sides of the reed table to form an opening window between a reed and the hollow chamber inside the main body; and a tip opening disposed between the reed rail at a tip of the beak and an virtual surface extending from a surface of the reed table, wherein the woodwind mouthpiece is made of a plastic, a metal, an alloy, a composite, wood or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A woodwind mouthpiece, comprising: a main body having an elongated streamlined shape; a hollow chamber and a bore inside the main body; a reed table on one side of the main body and partially suspended from the main body; a beak on an opposite side to the reed table on the main body; a reed rail surrounding the beak and connecting to two lateral sides of the reed table to form an opening window between a reed and the hollow chamber inside the main body; and a tip opening disposed between the reed rail at a tip of the beak and a virtual surface extending from a surface of the reed table, wherein the woodwind mouthpiece is made of a plastic, a metal, an alloy, a composite, wood or a combination thereof.

2. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein a side of the reed table closest to the beak is attached to the main body, and another side of 10% to 90% of a total area of the reed table farthest from the tip of the beak is suspended from the main body to form a gap between the reed table and the main body.

3. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein a front section of the beak equal to 80% of a distance between the tip rail and an interface along a central line of the width of the beak in a longitudinal direction of the main body has a beak wall thickness ranging from 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, wherein the interface is at a border with a maximum curvature between the beak and a connection portion connecting the beak and the main body.

4. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein the reed rail comprises a tip rail and side rails connecting to the tip rail, and a thickness of the beak between an upper exterior surface of the beak and a surface of one of the side rail is in a range from 2 mm to 8 mm; wherein the thickness is measured at an interface at a border a the maximum curvature between the beak and a connection portion connecting the beak and the main body.

5. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 2, wherein at least one element is disposed in the gap between the reed table and the main body.

6. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 5, wherein the at least one element is movable in the gap for adjusting an angle of a surface of the reed table with respect to the main body.

7. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 5, wherein the at least one element is attached to one of the reed table and the main body.

8. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 5, wherein the at least one element is attached to both the reed table and the main body.

9. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 5, wherein the at least one element is made of an elastic material.

10. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 9, wherein the elastic material is an elastic spring, a soft polymer block, a cork block, a cured silicone block or a combination thereof.

11. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 5, wherein a thickness or a height of the at least one element is adjustable between 80% and 120% of a distance of the gap when the reed table and the main body are at rest.

12. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 7, wherein the at least one element is a threaded element including a bolt or a screw with a matching nut attached to one of the reed table and the main body.

13. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein the composite is a plastic composite, the woodwind mouthpiece is made of the plastic or the plastic composites, which has a tilted wire texture of the plastic or the plastic composites.

14. The woodwind mouthpiece of claim 13, wherein a tilted angle of the tilted wire texture of the plastic or the plastic composite is produced by fused filament fabrication and ranges from 20 degrees to 70 degrees with respect to a central line in a longitudinal direction of the main body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a woodwind mouthpiece mounted on a neck of a saxophone according to Example 1 of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a woodwind mouthpiece according to Example 1 of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 3 is another schematic view showing a woodwind mouthpiece according to Example 1 of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 is a side view showing a woodwind mouthpiece according to Example 1 of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing a woodwind mouthpiece according to Example 1 of the present invention.

(6) FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a woodwind mouthpiece according to Example 1 of the present invention.

(7) FIG. 7 is a side view showing a woodwind mouthpiece according to Example 2 of the present invention.

(8) FIG. 8 is a bottom view showing a woodwind mouthpiece according to Example 2 of the present invention.

(9) FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are schematic views showing a woodwind mouthpiece mounted on a neck of a saxophone according to two aspects of Example 2 of the present invention.

(10) FIG. 10 is a side view showing a woodwind mouthpiece according to Example 3 of the present invention.

(11) FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a woodwind mouthpiece according to Example 4 of the present invention.

(12) FIG. 12 is a side view showing a woodwind mouthpiece according to Example 4 of the present invention.

(13) FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a woodwind mouthpiece according to Example 4 of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

(14) Different embodiments of the present invention are provided in the following description. These embodiments are meant to explain the technical content of the present invention, but not meant to limit the scope of the present invention. A feature described in an embodiment may be applied to other embodiments by suitable modification, substitution, combination, or separation.

(15) It should be noted that, in the present specification, when a component is described to comprise an element, it means that the component may comprise one or more of the elements, and it does not mean that the component has only one of the element, except otherwise specified.

(16) Moreover, in the present specification, the ordinal numbers, such as “first” or “second”, are used to distinguish a plurality of elements having the same name, and it does not means that there is essentially a level, a rank, an executing order, or an manufacturing order among the elements, except otherwise specified. A “first” element and a “second” element may exist together in the same component, or alternatively, they may exist in different components, respectively. The existence of an element described by a greater ordinal number does not essentially means the existence of another element described by a smaller ordinal number.

(17) In the present specification, except otherwise specified, the feature A “or” or “and/or” the feature B means the existence of the feature A, the existence of the feature B, or the existence of both the features A and B. The feature A “and” the feature B means the existence of both the features A and B. The term “comprise(s)”, “comprising”, “include(s)”, “including”, “have”, “has” and “having” means “comprise(s)/comprising but is/are/being not limited to”.

(18) Moreover, in the present specification, the terms, such as “top”, “upper”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, or “middle”, as well as the terms, such as “on”, “above”, “over”, “under”, “below”, or “between”, are used to describe the relative positions among a plurality of elements, and the described relative positions may be interpreted to include their translation, rotation, or reflection.

(19) Furthermore, the terms recited in the specification and the claims such as “above”, “over”, or “on” are intended not only directly contact with the other element, but also intended indirectly contact with the other element. Similarly, the terms recited in the specification and the claims such as “below”, or “under” are intended not only directly contact with the other element but also intended indirectly contact with the other element.

(20) Furthermore, the terms recited in the specification and the claims such as “connect” is intended not only directly connect with other element, but also intended indirectly connect with other element.

(21) Furthermore, when a value is in a range from a first value to a second value, the value may be the first value, the second value, or another value between the first value and the second value.

(22) Moreover, in the present specification, a value may be interpreted to cover a range within ±20% of the value, and in particular, a range within ±10%, ±5%, ±3%, ±2%, ±1% or ±0.5% of the value, except otherwise specified. The value provided in the present specification is an approximate value, which means the meaning “about” is also included in the present invention without specifically specifying “about”.

(23) In the present specification, except otherwise specified, the terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the meanings generally known by a person skilled in the art. It should be noted that, except otherwise specified in the embodiments of the present invention, these terms (for example, the terms defined in the generally used dictionary) should have the meanings identical to those known in the art, the background of the present invention or the context of the present specification, and should not be read by an ideal or over-formal way.

Example 1

(24) FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a woodwind mouthpiece mounted on a neck of a saxophone of the present example. In the present example, the woodwind mouthpiece is made by 3-D printing using PLA plastic. Herein, the woodwind mouthpiece has a tilted plastic wire texture, and a tilted angle of the tilted plastic wire texture is produced by fused filament fabrication and ranges from 20 degrees to 70 degrees with respect to a central line in a longitudinal direction of the main body. However, the material of the woodwind mouthpiece is not limited thereto.

(25) As shown in FIG. 1, the woodwind mouthpiece 1 is mounted on the neck 2 of a woodwind musical instrument, which is a saxophone in the present example, including a soft cork 3 around the neck 2. A reed 4 held onto a reed table 14 of the woodwind mouthpiece 1, and held by a ligature 5 to the reed table 14. Different reeds ranging from cane, metal, and plastic reeds can be used. Many different ligatures can replace the one shown in FIG. 1 although the one shown in FIG. 1 is the most compact and appealing.

(26) The detail structure of the woodwind mouthpiece 1 of the present example is shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 6. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are different schematic views of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example; FIG. 4 is a side view of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example; FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example; and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example.

(27) Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 6, the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example comprises: a main body 11 having an elongated streamlined shape; a hollow chamber 112 and a bore 111 inside the main body 11; a reed table 14 on one side of the main body 11 and partially suspended from the main body 11; a beak 12 on an opposite side to the reed table 14 on the main body 11; a reed rail (including side rails 125 and a tip rail 124) surrounding the beak 12 and connecting to two lateral sides of the reed table 14 to form an opening window 127 (as shown in FIG. 3) between a reed 4 and the hollow chamber 112 and 123 inside the main body 11; and a tip opening 41 disposed between the reed rail at a tip 124 of the beak 12 and virtual surface extending from a surface 143 of the reed table 14. In the present example, the woodwind mouthpiece has a thin, nearly flat, small-angle beak 12.

(28) In the present example, the reed rail comprises a tip rail 124 and side rails 125 connecting to the tip rail 124, and a lay length is a distance between the tip rail 124 and a break-point P1 of one of the side rails 125. Herein, a front section of the beak 12 equal to 80% of a distance D3 between the tip rail 124 and an interface along a central line C in a longitudinal direction of the main body 11 has a beak wall thickness Ta ranging from 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm (0.5 mm≤T1a≤2.5 mm), wherein the interface is between the beak 12 and a connection portion 13 connecting the beak 12 and the main body 11, and the front section of the beak 12 is a region having a length D1 equal to 80% of the distance D3.

(29) In the present example, the beak 12 comprises an upper exterior surface 121 and the side rails 125 have lower surfaces 1252a. An angle θ1 included between the upper exterior surface 121 and the surface 1252a of the side rails 122 with respect to the tip of the beak 12 and measured at one of two positions at a smaller distance to the tip 126, wherein two positions are the break-point and the interface between the beak 12 and the connection portion 13. The interface between the beak 12 and the connection portion 13 is defined as the transitional point P2 with the maximum curvature of the upper exterior surface of the mouthpiece formed by the turning upwards of the upper exterior surface of the beak 12 to meet with the connection portion 13. The interface is close to the break-point with a distance between the interface and the break-point being less than 5 mm. θ1 can be ranged from 5 degree to 20 degrees, for example greater than 5 degrees but less than or equal to 20 degrees (5°<θ1≤20°). Alternatively, the angle θ1 can be 5°<θ1≤15°, 5°<θ1≤10°, 5°≤θ1≤15° or 5°≤θ1≤10°, depending upon the mouthpiece design.

(30) In the present example, the reed rail comprises side rails 125 and a tip rail 124 connecting to the side rails 125. Herein, the lower surface 12a of the beak 12 comprises the inner surface of the air channel, a tip rail 124 and at least parts of side rails 125 which are what the reed 4 beats against, and two ends of the tip rail 124 respectively connects to one end of the side rails 125. The side rails 125 respectively comprise a first part 1251 and a second part 1252, wherein the reed 4 is in touch with the second parts 1252 of the side rails 125 and separates from the first part 1251 of the side rails 125, and the position of the reed 4 separating from the side rails 125 is the break-point P, which is located between the first parts 1251 and the second parts 1252 of the side rails 125. Herein, the angle θ1 is measured from the tip 126 of the beak 12 to the interface between the beak 12 and the connection portion 13. It should be noted that the break-point P1 is close to the interface between the beak 12 and the connecting portion 13, but does not necessarily aligned with the interface between the beak 12 and the connecting portion 13. In some cases, the break-point P1 can be farther than the interface measured from the tip 126.

(31) In the present example, a thickness T1 of a portion of the beak 12 between the upper exterior surface 121 of the beak 12 and the surface 1252a of the side rails 125 at the interface between the beak 12 and the connecting portion 13 can be in a range from 2 mm to 8 mm (2 mm≤T1≤8 mm). Alternatively, the thickness T1 can be in a range from 2 mm to 5 mm (2 mm≤T1≤5 mm). Further alternatively, the thickness T1 can be in a range from 3 mm to 4 mm (3 mm≤T1≤4 mm). In addition, the tip 126 of the beak 12 may have a thickness T1 in a range from 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm (0.5 mm≤T1≤2.5 mm). Herein, the thickness of the tip 126 of the beak 12 may be equivalent or equal to the beak wall thickness of the beak 12. Herein, the thickness T1 at near to the connecting portion 13 can be determined by the thickness T1a of the wall of the beak 12 plus the height T1b of the air channel defined by the inner surface 12a of the beak 12 and the lower surface 1252a of the side rails 125.

(32) Herein, the thickness T1 of the beak 12 between the upper exterior surface 121 of the beak 12 and the surface 1252a of the side rails 125 can be measured at the interface. In the present example, the interface is near the break-points P1 of the side rails 125. Thus, a player can easily align the upper lip with the break-point P1 by touch the upper lip with the fast-rising slope at the end of the thin beak 12. In the present example, a slope θ2 of the front portion near the beak of the connecting portion 13 from the upper exterior surface 121 of the beak 12 to an exterior surface 113 of the main body 11 may range between 0 degrees and 90 degrees (0°≤θ2≤90°). In particular, the slope θ2 can be in a range from 0 degrees to 60 degrees (0°≤θ2≤60°). Herein, the slope θ2 of the connecting portion 13 can be defined by an angle included between the upper exterior surface 131 of the connecting portion 13 and an extension surface of the upper exterior surface 121 of the beak 12.

(33) Thus, one feature of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example is the thin and nearly flat beak 12, which increases in thickness between the side rails and the upper exterior surface rapidly near the interface. The front part of the side rails 125 (i.e. the first parts 1251 of the side rails 125) close to the tip 126 is curved. The rear part of the side rails 125 (i.e. the second parts 1252 of the side rails 125) behind the break-point P1 is straight and in-line with the reed table 14. Thus, when the reed 4 is fixed to the reed table 14, the reed 4 sits on the reed table 14 and the rear part of the side rails 125 (i.e. the second parts 1252 of the side rails 125) tightly so that there is no air leakage from the rear part of the reed 4.

(34) In the present example, the woodwind mouthpiece further comprises: a reed table 14 on one side of the main body 11 and connecting to the reed rail surrounding the beak 12 (in particular, the side rails 125), wherein the opening window 127 (as shown in FIG. 3) is formed between the hollow chamber 112 and 123 inside the beak 12 and the connection portion 13 with the reed 4 at still. Herein, a side of the reed table 14 closest to the beak 12 is attached to the main body 11, and another side of 10% to 90% of a total area of the reed table 14 farthest from the reed table 14 of the beak 12 is suspended from the main body 11 to form a gap 144 between the reed table 14 and the main body 1l. Thus, an area of the reed table 14 which is attached to the main body 11 is between 10% and 90% of the total table area of the reed table 14. In particular, two lateral sides 141, 142 of the reed table 14 are suspended from the main body 11, and the two lateral sides 141, 142 are sides extending along an extension direction of the main body 11. Herein, a width W1 between the two lateral sides is smaller than an outer diameter Da of the main body 11.

(35) In the present example, an element (i.e. an attaching element 15) is disposed in the gap 144 between the reed table 14 and the main body 11. In addition, the element (i.e. an attaching element 15) is attached to one of or both the reed table 14 and the main body 11. In particular, the reed table 14 suspended from the main body 11 can be attached to the main body 11 via an attaching element 15, wherein the attaching element 15 is disposed on a part of a surface 145 of the reed table 14 facing to the main body 11. Herein, the main body 11, the beak 12, the connecting portion 13, the attaching element 15 are integrated into one piece.

(36) Thus, in the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example, both lateral sides 141, 142 of the reed table 14 are suspended, and a slide-in ligature 5 like the one shown in FIG. 1 can clamp on the suspended sides 141, 142 of the reed table 14.

(37) In the present example, the partially suspended reed table 14 has more than half of the reed table 14 being detached from the main body 11 of the woodwind mouthpiece. The partially suspended reed table 14 can vibrate. Coupled vibration of the reed table 14 and the reed 4 generate rich harmonics and desirable tone color than traditional mouthpieces. In addition, many kinds of ligatures including all-round ligature and slide-in ligature can be used. The partially suspended reed table 14 allows a variety of slide-in and clamp-on ligatures to be used. A slide-in ligature allows most freedom of vibration of the reed table because the ligature is not attached to the main body.

(38) Thus, another feature of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example is the partially suspended reed table 14. The portion of the reed table 14, which is not fixed to the main body 11 of the woodwind mouthpiece can vibrate. The vibration of the reed table 14 is coupled with the vibration of the reed 4 to create unique harmonics and tone colors.

Example 2

(39) FIG. 7 is a side view of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example; FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example; and FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are schematic views showing the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example mounted on the neck of the saxophone in different aspects. The woodwind mouthpiece of the present example is similar to that shown in Example 1, except for the following differences.

(40) Referring to FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, in the present example, the woodwind mouthpiece is made by 3-D printing using strong metals like titanium or alloy thereof, aluminum or alloy thereof, stainless steel or strong plastics like PEEK or carbon-fiber reinforced plastic. For example, the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example is a 3-D printed titanium alloy mouthpiece, and the thickness T1a of the wall can be as thin as 1 mm or smaller. In particular, all walls of the mouthpiece including those for the main body 11, the beak 12, the connecting portion 13 and the reed table 14 are ultra-thin whenever it is desirable.

(41) In addition, in the present example, the reed table 14 is totally suspended from the main body 11 to form a gap between the reed table 14 and the main body 11 except a portion on the beak side of the reed table 14. In particular, a side of the reed table 14 closest to the beak 12 is attached to the main body 11, and another side of the reed table 14 farthest from the beak 12 is suspended from the main body 11 to form a gap 144 between the reed table 14 and the main body 11.

(42) Because of the strong mechanical strength of titanium alloy, the woodwind mouthpiece with the ultra-thin walls is stable and produces unique and pleasing sounds. The beak 12 which a player holds with two lips and the upper teeth is only 2-4 mm in thickness T1 for high baffle mouthpiece. The player does not feel tiresome because the player's mouth remains nearly as close as when it is shut and resting. The ultra-thin but mechanically strong reed table 14 provides desired elasticity and quick responses when it vibrates along with the reed 4 (as shown in FIG. 1). Additional support to the reed 4 is optional but not needed.

(43) In some cases, a supporting element 6 can be selectively disposed in the gap between the reed table 14 and the main body 11. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, an element (i.e. a supporting element 6) is disposed in the gap 144 between the reed table 14 and the main body 11. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9B, a plurality of elements (i.e. supporting elements 6) are disposed in the gap 144 between the reed table 14 and the main body 11. Hereinafter, the features of FIG. 9A are described below, and the features of FIG. 9B are similar to those of FIG. 9A and are not repeated again.

(44) As shown in FIG. 9A, the supporting element 6 can be movable in the gap 144 for adjusting an angle of a surface 143 of the reed table 14 with respect to the main body 11. Herein, the supporting element 6 can be inserted beneath the lower part or the lower end of the reed table 14 in order to reduce the amplitude of vibration of the reed table 14. By pushing the supporting element 6 into the gap 144 between the reed table 14 and the main body 11 of the woodwind mouthpiece, the reed table 14 is tilted and the opening between the reed 4 (as shown in FIG. 1) and the tip rail 124 (as shown in FIG. 3) becomes smaller. Herein, a thickness T or a height of the supporting element 6 can be adjustable between 80% and 120% of a distance D2 of the gap 144 when the reed table 14 and the main body 11 are at rest. It should be noted that, the thickness T of the supporting element 6 shown in FIG. 9A is the thickness of the supporting element 6 when the supporting element 6 is inserted into the gap 144, not the thickness of the supporting element 6 before the supporting element 6 is inserted into the gap 144.

(45) In addition, an element made of a bolt or a screw 15, which permits the adjustment of the length of the bolt or screw between the lower reed table and the main body can be disposed in the gap a mechanism to adjust the length. The change in the length causes the farthest end of the reed table to tilt away or closer to the main body and thus cause the tip opening 41 to be adjusted.

(46) As shown in FIG. 9A, a ligature can be a threaded element 7 including a bolt 71 or a screw 72 with a matching nut 73 attached to the reed table 14, wherein the threaded element 7 can tighten the reed to the reed table. The reed table is free to vibrate except being fixed at the end close to the tip 126 and influenced by the attached element in the gap 144.

(47) In one example, the material of the supporting element 6 can be a cork block. In another example, the material of the supporting element 6 can be a cured silicone block for unique tone color especially for low notes. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and any elastic material including an elastic spring, a soft polymer block, a cork block, a cured silicone block or a combination thereof can be used as the material of the supporting element 6. In addition, the shape of the supporting element 6 is not limited to this example shown here.

(48) The woodwind mouthpiece with thin walls vibrates with the air oscillation inside the mouthpiece and modify the harmonics contribution or creates additional harmonics. By optimization of the vibration of the reed table 14, innovative mouthpiece with pleasing tone color is made.

(49) The nearly fully suspended reed table 14 has only one end fixed to the main body 11 of the woodwind mouthpiece. The suspended reed table 14 can vibrate. The extension of vibration is determined by the elastic property of the suspended reed table 14 and the coupled force from the vibrating reed 4 (as shown in FIG. 1). Coupled regular vibration of the reed 4 with that of the reed table 14 generates rich harmonics to the oscillation of the air pressure and unique tone color which can't be generated by traditional mouthpieces.

Example 3

(50) FIG. 10 is a side view of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example. The woodwind mouthpiece of the present example is similar to that shown in Example 2, except for the following differences.

(51) In the present example, the reed table 14 can be attached to the main body 11 via an attaching element 15, and the attaching element 15 is disposed on a side of the reed table 14 farthest from the beak 12. More specifically, the nearly fully suspended reed table 14 has one end fixed to the main body 11 of the woodwind mouthpiece. The other end of the reed table 14 suspended from the main body 11 is attached to the main body 11 by the attaching element 15. Herein, the main body 11, the beak 12, the connecting portion 13, the attaching element 15 are integrated into one piece. The element 15 can be a threaded bolt or a screw, by turning the bolt or screw which both the length of bolt and screw and the gap spacing may be adjusted.

(52) In the present example, most of the reed table 14 remains suspended and can vibrate. The extension of vibration is determined by the elastic property of the suspended reed table 14 and the coupled force from the vibrating reed 4 (as shown in FIG. 1). Coupled regular vibration of the reed 4 with that of the reed table 14 generates rich harmonics to the oscillation of the air pressure and unique tone color which can't be generated by traditional mouthpieces.

(53) Herein, the height of the attaching element 15 can be adjusted and the reed table 14 is tilted at a selected angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the main body 11. The present example provides one manner for supporting the reed table 14 via the attaching element 15, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The attaching element 15 is attached to both the reed table 14 and the main body 11, and can be a rigid element or an elastic element (for example, an elastic spring, a soft polymer block, a cork block, a cured silicon block or a combination thereof). Therefore, a mouthpiece with adjustable tip opening can be made by this mouthpiece with suspending reed table. When less strong materials than titanium alloy metal and PEEK plastics are used, additional strength enhancement can be applied by increasing the wall thickness of the woodwind mouthpiece in selected areas, which are beneficial to the mechanical strength of the woodwind mouthpiece but of little or no adverse effects on the unique and desirable characteristics of the ultra-thin walled mouthpiece.

Example 4

(54) FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example; FIG. 12 is a side view of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example; and FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example.

(55) Referring to FIG. 11 to FIG. 13, in the present example, the woodwind mouthpiece is a clarinet mouthpiece, which incorporates the thin and nearly flat beak as that shown in Example 1. The features of the beak of the woodwind mouthpiece of the present example are similar to that shown in Example 1, and are not repeated again. For a clarinet mouthpiece, the bottom end 11a needs to match the diameter of the clarinet barrel, which is much larger than the diameter of a saxophone neck. The thin and nearly flat beak and partially suspended reed table may also apply to the clarinet mouthpiece. The bottom the clarinet mouthpiece must match the diameter of the clarinet barrel. Therefore, the thin and small diameter body does not apply to the bottom 30% of the total length of the clarinet mouthpiece.

Other Examples

(56) In the present invention, the woodwind mouthpiece shown in Examples 1 to 3 can be scaled in x, y, and z dimensions for uses as mouthpieces of sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone.

(57) In the present disclosure, the features in different embodiments of the present disclosure can be mixed to form another embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as hereinafter claimed.

(58) Although the present disclosure has been explained in relation to its embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as hereinafter claimed.